Louisiana Air National Guard

Louisiana Air National Guard

122d Fighter Squadron - McDonnell Douglas F-15A-19-MC Eagle 77-0093, NAS New Orleans. The 122d FS is the oldest unit in the Louisiana Air National Guard, having over 60 years of service to the state and nation.

Contents

Overview1

Components2

History3

State Partnership Program4

See also5

References6

External links7

Overview

Under the "Total Force" concept, Louisiana Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). Louisiana ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the Louisiana Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.

Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the Louisiana ANG are subject to being activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.

Components

Location of Louisiana ANG units.

The Louisiana Air National Guard consists of the following major unit:

The Louisiana ANG's flying unit, the 159th Fighter Wing, is nicknamed the "Bayou Militia" and operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). Previously nicknamed the "Cajun Militia", and before that the "Coonass Militia." The title "Coonass Militia" was changed to "Cajun Militia" in 1992 because of concerns about its "political incorrectness".[1][2] In the late 1990s the Cajun Militia title was changed to the current "Bayou Militia."

References

See also

Louisiana has two countries in the SPP (State Partnership Program). Belize joined the SPP with Louisiana National Guard in 1996 and Haiti in 2011. Both of these nations fall under the area of operations of SOUTHCOM.

Since its inception, the Louisiana ANG has participated in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, Kosovo, Operation Noble Eagle, Air Expeditionary Force Deployments, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Global War on Terrorism.[5]

In 1957, the B-26s were replaced with F-86L Sabre Interceptors and the mission was changed to the air defense of the state. In 1958, the 122d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 159th Fighter Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau on 1 April 1958.

The modern Louisiana ANG received federal recognition on 5 December 1946 as the 122d Bombardment Squadron (Light) at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. It was equipped with B-26 Invaders and was assigned to Tactical Air Command. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Louisiana Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act.[4]

On 24 May 1946, the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.[4]

The Louisiana Air National Guard origins date to 2 Mar 1941 with the establishment of the 122d Observation Squadron and is the oldest unit of the Louisiana Air National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. On 1 October 1941, the 122d Observation Squadron was activated into federal service as part of the build-up of the Army Air Forces prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

[3]

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